I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me—and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish?” vss.18-19a
Ecclesiastes 2:18-23
The Teacher’s words will resonate with many in our accumulation-driven society. Many people devote long years of their lives to building their portfolios and establishing retirement funds, and often they don’t even like the work that they’ve been doing! And then when they finally retire, they make a sad discovery! Retirement isn’t nearly as wonderful as they thought it would be–and our enjoyment of it is almost totally contingent on our health. And that certainly isn’t guaranteed! It’s amazing how fragile our body parts are, and how quickly they wear out. And then there are those who come after us! If we’ve done well in the accumulation game, we can be sure that our heirs will know that. And some of them will begin to wonder why we’re living so long–we might even suspect that they’re hoping we’ll die sooner rather than later. After all, the sooner our money finds its way to them, the more time they’ll have to spend it. And who knows how wise or foolish they will be? It’s amazing how often such thoughts creep into our minds, but that’s how it is when the measure of our life is based on stuff! What a blessing it is when such thinking does not preoccupy us! And that’s always true for those who live in Christ!
Thought for the Day: What has toil brought to my life?
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